Gasoline turbine engine



March 1, 1949. E, w, M R 2,463,294

GASOLINE TURBINE ENGINE Filed April 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet lQAIIIIRETOR II. I [I ll II II II llllll II II INVENTOR.

g W Millard BY ATTORNEY March 1, 1949. w, MILLARD 2,463,294

GASOLINE TURBINE ENGINE Filed April 26, 1944 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V ENTOR.

Eafgar W 1 /17/222! ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE GASOLINE TURBINE ENGINE Edgar W. Millard lllyria, OhioApplication April 26, 1944, Serial No. 532,913

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a gasolineturbine engine.

More particularly, the invention proposes an improved gasoline turbineengine which is characterized by a stator having an axial tubularpassage provided with an annular central combustion chambercommunicating with expandin end sections having series of turbinenozzles, and a rotor rotatively mounted through said stator and havingexpanding end se tions complementary to the end sections of said statorand provided with turbine buckets cooperatively positioned in relationto said nozzles. It is further proposed to provide means for burningfuel Within said combustion chamber to produce gases for passing throughsaid nozzles and buckets to drive said rotor.

The new and improved gasoline turbine engine is especially applicable toaircraft engines, though it could be used for other purposes.

It is pointed out that the turbine engine must be provided with acooling system the design of which may be optional. It may be air orliquid cooled and may be cooled according to any number of differentmethods.

The particular method of burning the fuel within the combustion chambersis also optional. A system may be used in accordance with the injectiontype of carburization or the common type of mixture may be used.

While one particular design of gasoline turbine engine is disclosedwhich makes use of but one stator and rotor, it should be clear thatadditional stators and rotors may be provided. The rotors may beattached to a central drive shaft.

The new and improved gasoline turbine engine may utilize one or moresuperchargers, an ignition system, oil pumps, etc., as is common inengines.

An important feature of the new and improved gasoline turbine engineresides in the fact that the gases expand both ways from the combustionchamber. Therefore there is less recoil, vibrations, etc. In theparticular design of gasoline turbine engine shown it is proposed to usecooling fins internally of the rotor, so that the rotor may be cooled bythe air passing through the rotor.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a gasoline 2 ur ne engine. ons uctd n cco dan e t th in en on.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical nlar ed se t o a iew o aortion. of

Fig 3 s a f agmen ar n itu inal v ea enlarged sectional view of anotherportion of Ba Th a o ne t r ne en ne. acco d n to this inve i incl des as at H! h n a t b la axial passage provided with an annular central mbti n h mber H c mm nic tin he na s in end sect on 2; and '3 ha n s rieaturbine nozzles I4. A rotor [-5 is rotatively moun d hr u h sa d atorandis vi w th p d n nd sect on 116. andv l om lementary to said endsections I2: and; i3 respec tively. The rotor I5 is provided withturbine buckets l8 cooperatively positioned in relation to the nozzlesM.

The rotor [5 has web-like ends l9 through which air may pass.Internally, the rotor I5 is formed. with a plurality of air cooling fins2|]. The web-like ends l9 are provided with hub portions 2| mounted on amain driven shaft 22. The cross sectional areas between the expandingend portions I2 and 13 of the stator and the portions l6 and I l of therotor gradually expand in accordance with the natural expansion of thegases as they travel through the nozzles l4 and buckets 18, inaccordance with standard turbine design. The exhausted gases are carriedaway by an exhaust 23 at each end of the stator Ill.

The means for burning fuel within the combustion chamber ll includes acarburetor 25. A supercharger impeller 26 is mounted about the driveshaft 22 and is located within a casing 21 having an inlet 28 and adischarge 29 connected with the air to the carburetor 25. Morespecifically, the supercharger impeller 26 is mounted on a tube 30 whichis rotative on the shaft 22. A high speed gear train 33 drives the tube30 from the rotations of the shaft 22.

The combustion chamber I I has one or more inlets 34 connecting up withthe carburetor 25. Each of these inlets is controlled by a valve 36urged into a closed position by a spring 31. A cam 38 is for the purposeof opening the valve 36. The cam 38 is mounted on a cam shaft 39 whichis connected up with a cam shaft drive system 40 connected up with thedrive shaft 22. The combustion chamber H is also provided with a fuelinjector nozzle 4| connected by the pipe line 42 with the carburetor 25.

The details of the carburating system will not :be given in thisspecification since they form no part of the invention. The fuel withinthe combustion chamber II is ignited by an ignition system not disclosedin detail, but including a spark plug 44 communicating with thecombustion chamber H.

Further details of the turbine engine will not be given in thisspecification because they form no part of the invention and thoseskilled in the art of engine design will readily comprehend that thepresent engine must be provided with an ignition system, fuel pump, andother devices generally used on engines at the present time;

The operation of the new and improved gasoline turbine engine is asfollows:

The combustion chamber II is supplied with fuel which is then ignited toform largequantities of gas. panding end portions l2, l6 and l3, I! soas to pass through the stationary nozzles I 4 to drive the buckets l8 soas to drive the rotor l5. The exhausted gases will pass out through theexhausts 23. The dominating feature of the invention resides in theprovision of the centrally located'combustion chamber II in combinationwith the expanding end portions through which the gases pass.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

In a gasoline turbine engine, a. stator hous- 4 ing presenting a centralcombustion chamber, laterally extending chambers flared outwardly fromsaid central chamber, a rotor mounted axially in said housing andextending through said combustion and lateral chambers, cooperatingturbine buckets and nozzles respectively on the outer wall of said rotorand on the inner wall of said laterally extending chambers, a shaft onwhich the rotor is mounted, said rotor being hollow and being outwardlyflared from its center toward its ends to conform to the flared shape ofsaid lateralv chambers and being shaped to provide inwardly extendingannular ridges constituting cooling fins, fuel supply and exhaust meansopening from said combusting chamber andthe ends of the housing adjacentthe This gas passes between the ex opposite outer ends of the statorconstituting exhaust passages leading from said cooperating turbinebuckets and nozzles at opposite sides of v said central combustionchamber.

. ED GAR W. MILLARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: j

UNITED STATES PATENTS v 499,054 Germany May 31, 1930

